A Fox, a Snake, and a Hyuuga
by Kuldain
Summary: Anko is injured during a mission and while Naruto is visiting her in the hospital something unexpected happens that may change their lives forever. Please R&R! NaruAnko NaruHina
1. Emergency!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of Kishimoto's ideas/properties

A/N: This is my first fanfic, so if you can, R&R. I don't mind what kind of review either, so go crazy! There will be a NaruAnko pairing, but there is a possibility for others in the future.

Chapter 1

It was as peaceful a day as any in Konoha, birds flying through the blue skies, people walking around without a care in the world. The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was working through the mounds of paperwork she had accumulated for the day when Shizune, her assistant, burst through the office door.

"Tsunade-sama! Anko-san has been spotted outside the northern gates severely wounded!" she gasped, her face was a bit flushed, apparently out of breath from running to relay the message.

"Damn, she must have fallen into a trap while on her scouting mission...and she is not one that gets injured so easily," Tsunade muttered, frowning as the day's mood suddenly soured, "Shizune, send a medic team to take her to the hospital immediately! I will see to her injuries myself."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Shizune quickly ran out of the room in order to accomplish her task.

"_Something feels odd about this...,"_ Tsunade thought to herself before hurrying to the hospital.

Meanwhile, at his favorite restaurant in the world, Naruto was feasting on bowl upon bowl of Ichiraku's ramen. After his 15th bowl, Naruto sat back on the stool, sighing contentedly.

"AHH, that was SO GOOD Ichiraku-san!" Naruto exclaimed. Ichiraku simply smiled and said, "I am glad that I have not lost my touch then, especially when it comes to my number one customer!" Naruto simply smiled and paid his bill, waving goodbye to the kind ramen chef. Just as Naruto was walking out of the Ichiraku's, a group of men and women all dressed in white, carrying someone on a stretcher, rushed quickly past him.

Naruto frowned and thought, _"Was that a medic team? I have never seen them rush so quickly before, it must be really bad. Maybe I should follow them, if its one of my friends..."_ He abruptly cut that thought off, not wanting to imagine any of his precious people in a life threatening situation. Quickly leaping from roof to roof, he followed the medic team, determined to make sure that whoever it was, would be alright.

"_What happened to me? It's so cold...is this what its like to die? I can't die yet...I haven't killed _him_ yet, I have to get my revenge on the Snake bastard, Orochimaru." _A sharp stab of pain in her chest brought Anko back to the living world. Her eyes slowly crept open, then quickly shut again as a painful light shined directly into her eyes. She could hear people scurrying back and forth, obeying commands from a very worried sounding Hokage.

"_If I live through this, I swear...I swear...,"_ then Anko quickly lost consciousness once again from the unbearable pain.

A/N: Well, this is the end of the first chapter, sorry it is so short, but it will build up steam soon. Once again, I ask for any type of review/questions or comments. I will try my hardest to continue this story because trust me there will be a relationship, or maybe two, and definitely an appearance from Orochimaru with lots of action too, but that is for another time, later! - Kuldain


	2. Blinding light

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, there I said it.

Chapter 2

While following the medic team towards the hospital, Naruto caught a glimpse of the figure that was being carried on the stretcher. _"Is that the crazy Jounin that lead the 2nd part of the Chunnin exam?"_ he thought to himself. He remembered how she first appeared, by jumping through a window after the first exam was finished, and how she threw a kunai close enough to cut his cheek and then licked the blood off it afterwards. His body shook as if trying to shake out those memories of the crazy purple haired kunoichi. "But a comrade is a comrade," he exclaimed, "And I don't leave comrades alone, even if they are crazy purple haired kunoichi!" Making up his mind with a large fox-like grin and pumping his fist into the air, Naruto jumped down to the ground and ran towards the hospital doors in order to see his fellow comrade.

Walking into the hospital, Naruto saw fewer doctors than normal, and he should know, he has been in the hospital too many times to count anymore. He reached the front desk, where a young nurse was busy talking on the phone. She gave him a quick "I wish you were dead, so leave me alone" glare just like everyone else, so Naruto just pushed it away with his trademark grin and said, "Excuse me do you know where I can find Mitarashi Anko? She just came in and..." The nurse continued ignoring him. _"This bitch is doing it on purpose! I can't hear anything coming out of the receiving end, can you Kyuubi?" _Naruto asked his lifelong prisoner.

"_**Hmm, nope, can't hear a thing Kit, why not show her what can happen to people that are rude to us? Heh heh heh!"**_ Kyuubi answered, with his laugh sounding more like a feral growl than anything a human would make. With Kyuubi's advice, Naruto went to the back of the phone and pulled the plug, effectively ending the nurse's charade, and forcing her to talk.

She gazed upon Naruto with daggers for eyes and coldly asked, " May I _help_ you?" Naruto smiled inwardly and asked where Anko was. "Ugh, she is in room 317, now get lost brat," the nurse replied.

"_Man, what a major bitch! She must be on that time of the month _everyday_!"_ Naruto thought as he rushed over to room 317. As he reached Anko's room, he noticed that there were ANBU right outside. Casually walking up, and giving them a wave, the young genin asked, "Yo guys, can I see Anko-san right now?"

The ANBU on the left with the tiger mask replied, "Sorry kid, no one is allowed in until the Hokage says its alright."

"Aw, come on, all I want to do is see how she is doing, just let me in this once," Naruto pleaded with puppy dog eyes. A silent reply was the only answer, and so Naruto walked off defeated down the hall.

"FINE," the loud mouthed ninja shouted, "Lets see you hold back all of me! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Twenty Narutos ran up to the two ANBU and began pushing and shoving them away from the door, while the real Naruto swiftly ran into the room.

The room was very warm and humid and smelled of sweat and blood. Naruto looked around and saw a lot of blood on the floor._"Whoa, this must have been pretty bad..." _Walking up to the lone bed, the boy saw a miserable looking Anko, covered in sweat, with a pile of used, bloody bandages next to her in a waste bin.

Kyuubi entered Naruto's thoughts, **_"Wow Kit, and I thought you had gotten messed up before, she seems to have already lost a lot of blood, and from what I can tell by her smell, she has a very high fever."_**

"_Do you think she can live Kyuubi," _Naruto asked his companion with worry.

"_**I don't doubt it Kit, but how much time it will take to recover is up to her will power,"**_ Kyuubi said assuringly, knowing that the boy would have a hard time just standing there watching a comrade die while doing nothing about it.

"_Well the least I could do to help is clean her up a little right,"_ the boy asked, picking up a towel from a leftover table. Naruto began softly dabbing the kunoichi's forehead with it and thought to himself how she could have possibly gotten this way since she was one of the stronger kunoichi and she was even taught by Orochimaru. _"What could have caused this much pain to someone so strong?"_ Naruto thought curiously.

Meanwhile, Tsunade was quietly watching Naruto take care of Anko and smiled, at both the kind gesture made by her "little brother" and knowing that if Anko wakes up and finds him doing that, she will most kill him. She decided to save him from any future pain, and came out of the shadows.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing to Anko-san?" Tsunade feigned amazement in order to tease him. _"It was too good to pass up,"_ she smirked as she thought of how he would answer her, his azure eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

"T-T-Tsuna-a-ade no baa-chan," the blonde boy stuttered, shocked that his "baa-chan" had found him with Anko. He backed away holding his hands in front of him, leaving the towel on Anko's forehead, "I wasn't doing anything bad to her! Honest!"

"Are you sure Naruto-kun," Tsunade slyly remarked, "It definitely looks like you were doing _something_ to Anko-san..." With this, Naruto turned a deep shade of red and turned to walk away before things got worse. "Wait Naruto," Tsunade called out, "I was only kidding, hehe, you really are fun to tease..., you just wanted to see how she was doing right?"

Naruto gave her a quick nod, and she decided he could be trusted with the truth behind her injuries. Tsunade gained a serious look and spoke in a calm, professional manner, "If you must know Naruto-kun, I had sent Anko out on a reconnaissance mission to see if she could find out the whereabouts of Orochimaru." With the mention of that name, Naruto immediately tensed, and looked downwards, trying to hide his anger for the man that caused him and everyone else in Konoha such pain and anguish.

Naruto stared directly into Tsunade's brown eyes and quietly asked, "Was she able to find him?" Tsunade simply replied that there was no way to get a report from her in her current condition. Naruto looked crestfallen and utterly defeated that Orochimaru and Sasuke were yet to be found. As he was turning to leave the room, a painful moan came from Anko.

Tsunade rushed over and began checking Anko's pulse. _"It's rising fast! She could be dying!" _She began using chakra in order to calm the kunoichi's heartrate, but it did not work. Naruto was simply standing in shock as he watched Anko's body shine brighter and brighter, almost gaining a completely ethereal glow.

"_Am I losing another precious person,"_ he asked himself as he shed quiet tears.

A/N:There you have it, chapter 2 is now complete. I tried to get it to move along as fast as I could so that I can begin the real story, but I also needed to explain some of the back story so it was a bit longer than anticipated. Hopefully I can continue finding new ideas for this story, and as always feel free to leave feedback, later! - Kuldain


	3. The New Anko

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it hurts to say it every time...

Chapter 3

The hospital room filled with blinding light, and as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Slowly blinking his eyes, Naruto's sight finally came back to him as he searched the room checking to see if anything was wrong. The room looked no different than before, everything was exactly the same except Tsunade was also still recovering from the light.

"Tsunade no baa-chan, what happened," Naruto asked, turning his head to her, giving her a puzzled look.

For once, Tsunade could not give the boy an answer. "I don't know Naruto, something like this has never happened before...," she said wearily as she rubbed her temples. _"Nothing seems out of place...but then, what was that light just now?" _she thought.

Naruto walked back over to Anko's bed, and gave a sharp gasp. "Baa-chan? How old is Anko-san," he asked the Hokage in a hesitant voice.

Tsunade just glared at him for a bit, then sternly said, "Naruto-kun, you know that is very rude to ask, especially about a woman. Why do you want to know?"

Naruto stepped away from Anko's bed to reveal what he had seen. Tsunade's brown eyes went wide. _"This is impossible! How could this happen," _she thought as she began to think of a logical explanation for what she was seeing. In the bed, where there was formerly a grown woman, was now a 13 year old girl! Tsunade turned to leave, "Naruto, stay here with Anko until I can retrieve Shizune and give an analysis. I will tell the ANBU outside to not allow anyone else in." The door closed, and silence reigned over the room. The only sound that could be heard was the soft breathing of a now very young Mitarashi Anko.

Taking a seat next to her bed, Naruto took another look at the new Anko. Her hair was still the same, short, messy, dark purple, and tied in the back. Her skin was noticeably smoother than before and she did not have the signs of age or stress from missions anymore. Naruto simply watched for a few minutes before Kyuubi interrupted his thoughts.

"_**Heh, so my Kit has finally taken an interest in women..."**_ Kyuubi inwardly grinned, knowing just the right way to push Naruto's buttons.

"_What? I do not, stupid fox,"_ Naruto shouted at the demon.

"_**Oh, so it's the other way around...it all makes sense now...," **_Kyuubi joked, loving the expression that his Kit had afterwards.

"GRRR...FINE, I DO LIKE WOMEN," he shouted before instantly covering up his mouth. _"Damn, I forgot to think it instead of say it_,_" _he cursed while looking over at Anko, hoping he had not woken her up. Meanwhile, Kyuubi was laughing his ass off after getting his Kit to yell out loud. He then went back into his cell to enjoy a nice nap.

Unfortunately for the young Genin, the crazy kunoichi had been woken up by such a loud shout to her ear. "That is definitely a good thing to know Naruto-kun, I was beginning to wonder if youdid or not...," Anko said teasingly. She was leaning on an elbow, looking at Naruto with her dark brown eyes full of something Naruto didn't quite understand.

Naruto simply blushed and smiled at Anko, saying, "Yo Anko-san, how are you feeling?"

"I feel fine Naruto-kun, why do you ask? Were you worried about poor me," Anko said in a childish tone while pouting with big, wide eyes.

"_Wow, Anko-san looks cute like that...," _was the only thought that went through the boy's mind. "Uhhh, Anko-san, to tell you the truth I was worried about you after I saw how badly you were injured," Anko gave a warm smile after hearing that. "But are you _sure_ you feel alright," Naruto asked in a concerned tone.

"_Okay, this is getting weird, first the kid is shouting he likes women, now he is making sure I am alright, something happened, but what?" _Anko thought hard, then she noticed she felt more energetic than usual. She then looked down at her hands and saw they were smaller than usual... The first thought that went through her head was, _"I need to stop drinking so much...but wait, is this a dream," _she pinched her arm feeling the sharp bite of pain. "No, not dreaming," she muttered.

As he sat there watching Anko discover what had happened to her on her own, Naruto silently hoped that she would not start screaming after figuring out that she had been reduced back to a 13 year old girl again. Anko quickly looked under the sheets, and everything finally seemed to dawn on her. Her face became blank as she stared at the boy who had woken her. She then let loose a scream that could be heard all the way in Suna.

A/N: Hey everybody, in this chapter I tried to get the ball rolling and begin the actual plot that I had envisioned. Things should start picking up soon as Anko adjusts to her new self, and Naruto begins to learn more about what happened during her mission. Next chapter should have an appearance by the rest of the gang as well, including Hinata who is still attempting to get up the nerve to tell Naruto her true feelings. As always, R&R people! Later, - Kuldain


	4. A meeting and the start of a date

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, even though many of us wish we did

A/N: Hello again everyone, few things to say before the chapter gets started. Thank you to everyone who gave a review, special thanks to Chris who gave me some more tips on how to make my story better!

Chapter 4

Kiba winced as he heard the loudest scream in his life. "Man, and I thought Mom or Sis had loud screams..." Akamaru, who was placed in his jacket, whimpered softly while looking up at his master. "Yeah, you're right Akamaru, we should go see what happened." The two left the training grounds and followed the echoes of the scream to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata heard the same scream while doing their chores, and wondered what was going on. They all left quickly towards the hospital, each hoping that nothing had happened to any of the others.

Rock Lee and Neji, who were staying in the hospital after an sparring accident during training, located the room, and rushed in not even noticing the protesting ANBU. They found Naruto sprawled unconscious on the floor with a slight bit of blood coming out of his ears. The two genin thought the same thing while looking at the blonde, _"This is bad..."_

"Naruto-kun! Naruto-kun! What happened? Where is your fiery spirit of youth?" Lee cried out. Neji finally noticed a young girl that was sitting upright in the hospital bed.

Concerned about what happened to the girl, Neji slowly walked over to her and asked, "Are you the one that screamed, miss?" The girl trembled and did not respond, she simply continued to rock herself back and forth muttering something about being 13 years old. Neji sighed and sat down where Naruto had previously been. The Hyuuga put on a serious face, and quietly said, "Okay, tell me honestly, did Naruto try to do anything to you?" The girl froze and slowly turned her head to face Neji, then all of a sudden she began laughing.

"Na-Na-Naruto? You-you think Naruto tried to do something to me? HAHAHA! That's rich!" the girl began rolling around the bed, laughing so hard that she was crying. At first, Neji did not find it funny that this girl was not taking his question seriously, but as he soon thought of his energetic friend attempting to rape the poor girl he began laughing himself.

Lee on the other hand, was just getting Naruto to regain consciousness. "Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun, you are alright!" Lee cried, "THE POWER OF YOUTH PREVAILS AGAIN GAI-SENSEI!" Far away on a mission in the wind country, Maito Gai suddenly began to weep tears of joy for no apparent reason.

"Hey Fuzzy Eyebrows, you mind not shouting so damn loud in my ears?" Naruto muttered as he slowly stood up on his shaking legs. Kyuubi was wanting to rip Lee a new one too, since ear drums are so hard to repair even with his great demonic powers. Naruto and Lee saw Neji and Anko laughing hysterically about something so they began laughing too since it just felt like a much needed tension breaker. Everyone began to laugh even harder as Anko had rolled off the bed, and fell right on her ass,

exposing her kunai and shuriken panties temporarily before covering them up.

Kiba burst through the door with Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino in tow. Shino apparently had followed Kiba after hearing the scream as well, and Shikamaru and Chouji were eating at a restaurant as they saw Ino rush by and they followed her. Kiba flashed a large grin and said, "Yo guys!" Neji, Naruto, Lee, and Anko quickly became quiet. "What did I do?" he asked.

Sakura and Ino, pushed him out of the way running towards the purple-haired girl they saw on the ground next to the bed. "Hey, we have never seen you around before, did you just move to Konoha?" Ino asked.

"Well since you are new here, my name is Sakura!" the pink-haired kunoichi said giving a warm smile.

Unsure of what to say, Anko just stared at the two girls. "Um...I have always lived here..." Tenten came over and peered closely at the young girl, making her blush under the scrutiny of so many people.

"You know, I recognize your face from somewhere," Tenten said while tapping her cheek thoughtfully, "But I can't place the name...isn't it Anku, Anquo?"

"_ARGH, why don't these kids fear me? I am the one and only Mitarashi Anko! I saw them practically shit themselves when I first appeared during the Chunnin Exam, and now they don't even so much as flinch!" _Anko thought. "My name," the Jounin spoke through clenched teeth, "is Mitarashi Anko!"

Everyone in the room, except Naruto, gasped and Chouji stopped eating his chips for a split second before resuming. Ino practically screamed, "Oh wow Anko-san! Where did you learn such a high level genjutsu like Tsunade-sama? I would die to have that jutsu for my later years, so I may keep myself young and beautiful! Please teach me how to do it!" Anko merely stared in shock at the girl who had spoken faster than the speed of sound.

Shikamaru spoke up, "Don't worry, Anko-san, thats how Ino always talks, it's troublesome."

"Sorry to break it to you Ino, but this isn't genjutsu..." Anko said as she watched the young girl's fascination turn to surprise and then disappointment. Sakura, Shino, Neji, Hinata and Kiba quickly walked over to Anko and checked her to make sure. One by one they agreed, after each using their own abilities, that there was no trace of genjutsu being used. "Satisfied now?" Anko growled at the genin for making her feel like some sort of lab experiment. "Besides," she continued, "I suck ass compared to Kurenai-san or Tsunade-sama when it comes to genjutsu, it takes too much concentration, I just like to fight and see some blood!" With that statement, the girls backed away, afraid for their well-being, while Naruto and Kiba stayed nearby since they were use to close quarters combat and understood the adrenaline that comes after seeing blood.

Kyuubi even agreed, **_"Hey Kit, this girl ain't too bad, she has 'Killer' written all over her so she ain't some weakling like your precious Sakura-chan. I think you should go after her, she would be a good catch..."_ **Kyuubi sent some images to Naruto that made his face turn red.

"_GAH! Stop it you stupid fox, she is twice my age!" _Naruto shouted back.

"_**Uh Kit, in case you haven't noticed, Anko is YOUR AGE NOW! Come on, you could get her, pretty easily in fact...heh heh heh. But seriously Kit, just spend more time with her and get to know her better, she would make a very good ally to have around, and plus she might be able to teach you some new jutsu."**_ Kyuubi knew his jailer well, he could not resist the temptation of learning more jutsu.

"_Hmm that _is_ true, I think I will hang out with her then, it should be fun!" _Naruto gave an inward fox-like grin as Kyuubi laughed at how easily he manipulated his Kit.

Meanwhile, Hinata was giving quick glances to Naruto, when he wasn't noticing, as he was staring into space. _"His mind seems to be wandering again, I wonder why he has been doing that so much lately?"_ the young Hyuuga pondered. She noticed that his face had momentarily turned red as well. _"I wonder what he was thinking about that made him turn red like that? Maybe...Maybe thoughts about a girl? I wonder who, though, since all of us are the room right now... Could he possibly be thinking about me?" _A blush covered Hinata's face and she began to fidget with her two index fingers while looking out the window.

The door to the room had opened again, with Tsunade and Shizune entering cautiously. Tsunade was surprised as she saw that the rest of Naruto's friends had already arrived. "Shizune, if you would, please go check on Anko-san." the Hokage ordered.

"Right away, Tsunade-sama." She then left to give a quick check up to the Jounin. As Shizune pulled a cover around Anko in order to do the inspection, Tsunade called the rest of the genin over.

"I assume that everyone here has heard that scream?" Everyone nodded, Naruto painfully winced, trying to forget the pain that had been caused to his ears.

"Baa-chan, I don't think that Anko-san was in any pain, she was just extremely shocked at what had happened to her body."

"I understand Naruto," the Hokage replied, "But the rest of you do not understand why she is even in the hospital in the first place, correct?" Everyone nodded again. "Well, to give a quick summation, Anko was on a mission, something went wrong and we found her outside the northern gates severely wounded." A few ohs came from the group. "So now we are trying to find out why this happened."

"Tsunade-sama, Anko-san seems alright," Shizune and Anko walked over to where everyone was at.

Everyone became very quiet and gave quick glances towards Anko. Except Naruto. He just kept staring. The Hokage coughed, "Ahem, Naruto-kun we know that you are looking out for the best interests of your friends and comrades, but don't stare."

Blushing fiercely and backing himself to the wall, the blonde genin struggled to find an explanation, "Eh, erm, I was just trying to check if Anko had any unseen damage that Shizune-nee chan might have missed!" Everyone stared at the flustered boy, even Neji had cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

Tsunade coughed again to regain everyone's attention, "Ahem, so now that we know that you are alright Anko, let us hear exactly what happened on your reconnaissance mission if you will." Anko tapped her chin while looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully for awhile, everyone listening intently for what she was going to say, with silence reigning over the room.

"Well...I don't remember!" Anko replied with a cheerful grin. Everyone fell and began shouting about wanting to know. "Honestly guys, I don't remember!" Anko placed her hands in front of her while backing away.

Throughout the noise, Tsunade became frustated which eventually turned into anger, making a vein pulse in her forehead, she snapped and screamed, "CUT IT OUT!" The room became quiet once more. "Ah much better...Anyway, everyone, you are hereby dismissed and will not talk about Anko's mission with anyone. Furthermore, I want all of you to keep a close eye on her so she doesn't get into trouble. Right, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at his baa-chan, "Eh? Why do you tell me that?" he shouted.

Tsunade sighed, "Because you were the one that made her scream in the first place, _and_ you are the main troublemaker in the room!" Naruto quickly became silent and looked at the floor. "Now, even though Anko is now 13 again, this doesn't mean that she is not your superior, so you will still treat her with respect, got that?" Everyone gave an agreement. "Good, you may leave now."

Everyone left the room, chatting amongst themselves, except for Naruto and Anko. "Hey Anko, if you want, we can hang out today since I am free!" Naruto said with his trademark fox-like grin. "_And maybe you can teach me some new jutsu as well, hehehe,_" He thought to himself happily.

Anko smiled and said slyly, "Are you sure you want to be seen with me Naruto-kun? After all, I am Mitarashi Anko, the former disciple of Orochimaru! Or do you mean," she said in fake amazement, "You want to go on a date?" The boy froze, not knowing what to think. Anko winked and replied, "I would love to kiddo! But first I am going to need some new clothes, so you are going to come with me to buy some new ones!" Still frozen in place, Naruto said nothing. Sighing heavily, Anko pulled on his arm and dragged him from the hospital to the clothes store.

Arriving at the clothes store, Naruto finally realized what was happening and began to wonder how this was going to work. "_Hey Kyuubi, what do I do? I have never been on a date before!_" Naruto begged his companion. **_"Well Kit, just go with the flow. Since she accepted, just hang out with her like you would any of your female friends." _**The fox replied with an unusual enthusiasm. "_Hmm, so I should just let Anko-san buy clothes then go eat ramen and train?_" the boy thought. "**_Ugh, Kit , you have a lot to learn about dating..."_** the fox replied while shaking his head sadly.

As Naruto thought about what his partner said, Anko began rushing throughout the store, finding things to try on, putting back the ones she didn't like, and placing what she did like in Naruto's arms. Soon, he was holding a gigantic tower of clothes that teetered ever few seconds. Naruto carefully walked over to the counter and placed the clothes down, giving the cashier a "Don't ask or I will severely hurt you" look. The cashier simply smiled brightly knowing there might be a bonus for her after having record sales for the day. Anko came out of the dressing room wearing some new clothes and grinned, saying, "You know, you are a pretty thoughtful guy, buying all these new clothes for me!" She was wearing a dark purple t-shirt that matched her hair, and beige shorts suitable for ninja since they had a lot of pockets to carry items.

Naruto simply frowned, looking into Gama-chan, his wallet, knowing that he would be able to afford it if he cut back on meals for the rest of his young life. He gave the cashier a wad of money and grabbed around 20 bags of clothing. Anko marched ahead, humming a cheerful tune with a smile on her face, leading him to her apartment where they dropped the clothes off. "Ah I feel so much better, don't you Naruto-kun?" Naruto hung his head sadly whimpering about Gama-chan. "_I didn't expect to lose all of my money this quickly Kyuubi!_" Naruto cried out to the fox. **_"Relax Kit, it will pay off in the end, trust me..."_** the fox answered giving an inward grin.

"So Naruto-kun, what do you want to do now?" Anko asked, cutting the boy from his thoughts. "Well, I figured we could do something fun!" Naruto exclaimed happily. Immediately, Anko was behind him whispering softly in his ear, "And what kind of fun would that be, Naruto-kun?" Naruto regret having said the word fun, but gulped and stared at the kunoichi. "Well, um, I was thinking about playing pranks on people like Kakashi-sensei..." Anko looked stunned for a second but smiled and said, "Alright lets do it! Let's get that perverted bastard!" Grinning, they sat at a table outside and came up with a plan on what they were going to do...

A/N: Okay, so I know, it was mostly random stuff put together, but it will all come together (sometime, someday) so I hope that it wasn't that boring for some . Anyway, thank you so much for all of the encouraging reviews, I hope to get more in the future! Reviews help me get motivated, so keep 'em coming! Well, thats all for now, later! - Kuldain


	5. Pranks, Laughter, and Romance

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto even though I enjoy writing this story.

A/N: Okay seeing as how many are saying the chapters are too short, I have worked extra hard in order to make this one a bit longer. First off, something I would like to clarify for NexDeus, yes Anko will look like how she was in the series. For Gost, here are the answers to your questions: 1) Does Anko have the curse seal mark still? Yes she still does, it did not go away 2) Is Anko a virgin again? Well I mean, who says she was/wasn't one before? 3) Whats with slutty Anko? Heh figured this would pop up eventually, and really she is not being slutty, its just that she is a big tease thats all. Besides, its funnier that way I think. Okay, now that that's over, on with the story!

_Beep-beep! "Grey Snake here, what is your position Red Fox? Over." _Sighing, Naruto shrugged to himself and decided to follow along with Anko's game. He spoke into his com link, "Red Fox here, enemy in sight, he is inside the bookstore as we speak. Over." _"Good, now let the mission commence! Grey Snake over and out."_ The boy frowned knowing if he was caught, he would suffer. Boy would he suffer! _"I can't let Anko-chan down!"_ he thought resolutely. _"Besides, I should be able to pull this off, right Kyuubi?" _The demon sighed saying, _**"I don't really know Kit, this is a very dangerous mission I mean she wants you to do that! That's just cruel! I mean even I would never do that to someone!"**_ Naruto grinned and softly whispered, "Let's do it!"

He slipped inside the bookstore avoiding people eyes as much as possible. Row upon row of ordinary book passed him until he finally came to the very last bookcase in the back of the store. Naruto grinned malevolently, enjoying the thrill of the possibility of being caught doing such things. He rushed in and quickly grabbed all of the Icha Icha Paradise books and quickly replaced them with dummy books that contained the "yaoi version" of the comic that was written by another author. After taking the many other Icha Icha books and throwing them to his drop off point near Anko, he quickly snuck back out of the store, struggling to hold in his laughter.

"Red Fox here, hehe, I, HAHAHA, I did it! MWAHAHA!" Naruto began rolling on the ground with laughter. _"Good, now get out of there before he remembers sensing you were in there!" _Anko said excitedly. _"It seems like Anko-chan enjoys the excitement of pranks as much as I do!"_ Kyuubi gave a sharp bark of laughter in his container's mind. _"Hey, what was that about Kyuubi?" _Naruto asked the furball. **_"Hehe, well you see Kit, you called Anko, 'Anko-chan' twice already and you never even noticed it! HAHA!"_** Naruto began to blush a deep red realizing he was right. _"Well it's only right since she is a young girl again..." _he mumbled. **_"Either that or you do like her Kit..."_** the demon said giving a sly smile. "Whatever, I gotta get out of here before Kakashi-sensei finds out that I did it..." he said, cutting off the mental connection with the demon.

"Before I find out about doing what, Naruto?" a monotone voice asked from behind. Turning around slowly, silently cursing himself for speaking out loud AGAIN. Scratching his head, the blond quickly replied, "Eh heh heh, hi Kakashi-sensei, I meant before you find out I...I...did my...laundry, yeah thats it!" he said, laughing nervously, while Kakashi simply stared at him. Naruto noticed he was carrying a bag that had the latest Icha Icha book, and fought hard to hold back the laughter. "Well, okayy...good for you I guess..." Kakashi gave a confused smile, "Well, I am going to go read now, good luck with your laundry..." he replied while giving a wave as he walked away. Naruto calmed himself and exhaled deeply knowing he had succeeded.

Anko leaped down from the rooftops giving Naruto a big slap on the back saying, "Great job there kiddo, stood up and bold faced lied straight to the guy! Now that takes major balls! Haha!" Stumbling from Anko's tremendous back slap, Naruto fell down face first. Staying down for a bit, he began laughing uncontrollably with Anko joining in soon after. All of a sudden a high pitched scream came from down the road. Kakashi ran at full speed back to the bookstore and gave another scream as he noticed the "special" Icha Icha editions. Although he could not be seen, Naruto got a feeling of several versions of 1000 years of pain being sent into his direction from inside the bookstore... Nervously, he took Anko's hand, making her slightly blush, and then whispered, "We have to go NOW! I mean it, you don't know what he will do to us if he catches us!" Sweat appeared all over his face and hands from knowing the raging fury that is Kakashi.

Anko simply laughed mockingly and gave a confident grin to the boy saying, "HA! You think I am scared of him? Why, I could probably beat him if I had every limb tied up with a pinky being the only finger to fight him with!" Naruto gaped at the insane girl next to him. "You _do _remember that you are 13 again, and that you probably only have a fifth of the original amount of chakra you used to have?" he said while nervously checking to see if Kakashi was going to burst out of the bookstore. Anko smiled nervously and laughed, "Heh, I guess I kinda forgot about that...Let's go!"

Naruto nodded in agreement and the two began to run as fast as they could in order to get away from the now hysterical Kakashi. As soon as they began running, Kakashi came out with a haunted look in his eyes. He saw Naruto and Anko sprinting away and he prepared the hand seal for the 1000 years of pain. "Naruto," he murmured, "YOU NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS! THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE!" the Jounin shouted, taking off at full speed, determined to make the boy pay for ruining his Icha Icha.

Running like the Shinigami himself was chasing them, Anko and Naruto tried to come up with Plan B. "Okay, so what should we do now, Anko-chan?" Naruto asked nervously while looking back at Kakashi, feeling the killing-intent radiating from him, not even noticing what he had said. Anko was slightly stunned by what he had said, and just stared at him while continuing to run forward. "_Did he just call me Anko-chan? Was it an accident or did he really mean it? Hmm I do like the sound of it though..."_ the purple haired girl thought while smiling inwardly. Meanwhile, Naruto had to shout at her in order to get her attention again. "ANKO-CHAN," he still didn't realize what he was calling her, "ARE YOU THERE? Come on, we gotta get away from Kakashi-sensei!" He pulled hard on her arm, taking the lead, and they leapt into the deep foliage of Konoha.

Since Naruto played many pranks when he was younger, he knew the exact shortcut to take to get to the training grounds where he could devise a plan to escape Kakashi. _"Hey Fox, now would be a good time for some input on saving our asses, or mainly mine, from about one million years of pain!" _he yelled. **_"Alright Kit, here is what you do..."_** Kyuubi explained as the clearing for the training grounds came into view.

Anko looked with worry at the blond who had not spoken a word for several minutes. "Hey, Naruto is something wrong?" Anko said. The boy looked back at her with his fox-like grin and said with glee, "Don't worry, I have a plan!" After a few minutes of summation of his plan, Naruto and Anko hid themselves and awaited for Kakashi's arrival. No less than a minute passed before the gray haired Jounin appeared.

"_Now where could those pranksters have gone? I should be able to at least sense Naruto's chakra..."_ Kakashi thought to himself. A sudden spike in chakra rose behind him and he threw several shuriken. A tree stump had replaced it in a flash and now several Naruto's were running towards him. "Heh, just like before during our survival training Naruto, you will not be able to beat me." So Kakashi took out his Icha Icha Paradise book and began reading with a slight blush appearing on his face.

Kakashi quickly disposed of the kage bunshin and lazily evaded the next two as well. Naruto chuckled as he knew Kakashi was falling right into the trap... "NOW ANKO!" the genin yelled. Knowing that Mitarashi Anko never holds back, the Jounin quickly went into a defensive stance while still holding his book. Seconds passed, with nothing happening, then a flash went by and Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise book was replaced with the "special" version. Kakashi was stunned and screamed, "NOOO!" He then threw his book onto the ground and destroyed it. Naruto took this moment to unleash his plan.

Naruto burst out of the ground with the seal of the tiger and yelled, "1000 YEARS OF PAIN!" and gave Kakashi what he had given him so long ago. His sensei's eyes watered up and he yelled in agony while clutching his ass, flying high into the air until he was just a tiny sparkle. Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. He simply rolled on the ground laughing and pointing at the sky. Anko ran over to him with tears of laughter in her eyes and clutched her aching sides. The two continued laughing until Naruto rolled Anko's feet from under her accidentally and she fell on top of him. Silence came over them as they stared at each other with shock on their faces.

"_I...I can feel her heart beating so fast..." _was Naruto's only thought while looking at Anko. Meanwhile Anko was thinking, _"Oh boy, this can't be good, my heart is racing from just looking at him...What do I do? This could get either really awkward or really intimate...Aw hell it's already both!" _Soft chirping was heard from the surrounding trees, and they could hear each other breathing. Finally, Anko closed her eyes and brought her face close to Naruto's, and gave him a long kiss. Naruto simply stayed in shock with his eyes wide. _"Wow, so this is what its like to be kissed...Her lips are so soft and warm..." _Anko was also enjoying the kiss, _"It seems this is Naruto-kun's first kiss judging by his stunned reaction, hehe he is so cute! He kinda tastes like ramen! I should stop before someone sees us, this could be very bad for both of our already horrible reputations...but who cares?" _so she continued until he needed to take a deep breath of fresh air.

Anko pushed herself off of him and gave a small smirk. Naruto sat up, and blushed while looking down at the ground in embarrassment. "Anko-chan, I..." The purple haired girl placed a slender finger on his lips. "Shh Naruto-kun, no one will know about this, so it will be our little secret 'kay?" she whispered giving him a wink. Nodding in agreement, he stood up and offered his hand like any gentlemen would, Anko accepted it graciously and they began walking back into the housing district of Konoha, as the sun began to set.

All the while, Naruto caught himself giving quick glances to Anko. Every time he was caught, he would quickly look away. Kyuubi noted to his container that she was doing the same even if it took him a bit longer to notice it himself. **_"That's my, Kit! Yeah you go lover boy! Woo woo!" _**Kyuubi cried out whenever Naruto would reminisce about the kiss that he and Anko shared making his face flush. **_"Hey Kit, if you like her so much, invite her out for dinner. I don't think she would reject you after what happened heh heh!"_** the fox grinned. _"I guess it couldn't hurt to get to know her better..." _Naruto thought.

He stopped and turned to Anko with a nervous smile, "Hey Anko-chan, since we are still technically on a date, how about we go out to dinner?" Anko smiled, knowing how hard it must have been for the boy to say that, and said, "Sure Naruto-kun, that sounds great, where do you want to go?" The boy thought to Kyuubi in a panic, _"Quick Kyuubi, where could I take her?" _The fox was surprised at his Kit's desperate tone, **_"Well, to make a good impression on her, take her someplace a bit fancier than Ichiraku's ramen stand. Somewhere like that new restaurant close by the Hokage office, umm, what's it called...oh yeah, it's called Akimichi's!_** **_It was started by Chouji's family, when they found that many people enjoyed the clan cuisine."_** Naruto thanked him, and returned his attention to Anko.

"How about Akimichi's? I have never tried it and I have heard that it is pretty good food," he said confident about his friend's information, "It is a formal restaurant so we may need to dress up, is that alright Anko-chan?" Anko gave a sly grin, "That sounds great Naruto-kun, I know just the dress to wear, it's one that I got from the shop earlier today." Nervous laughter escaped from the Genin, _"Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to go to a formal place, knowing how carefree Anko is concerning other people's thoughts about her...," _he thought to himself. "I will pick you up in an hour then, Anko-chan!" he said, giving her his fox-like grin, disappearing to get ready. Anko quickly disappeared as well.

The boy hummed happily to himself as he leapt from roof to roof, seeing the many lights that were shining throughout Konoha, thinking about the upcoming dinner. A frown immediately fell on his face, drowning his happy tune, after realizing he had no formal clothes. "Where could I get some on such short notice..." he muttered to himself. Unconsciously, he had led himself to the Hokage's office. "Maybe Baa-chan has something I could use," he thought hopefully. As he walked in, people gave him sharp glares, but he easily dismissed them as their way of acknowledging him. Walking up the stairs towards Tsunade's office, Naruto began to wonder what he would say to her in order to get help for his date with Anko without upsetting her and facing her wrath. He shivered at the thought of one of her superhuman punches blasting him through several walls.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Shizune as he reached the top floor. He bumped into her, making her fall onto the floor. "Ow! Be more careful where you are going Naruto-kun!" the medic yelled. Naruto helped her up with an apologetic smile, "Sorry Nee-chan, I was worried about something coming up." Unable to hold a grudge, the woman gave a quick smile to the boy, saying it was alright. Shizune brushed herself off and began to walk away, "Sorry I can't chat Naruto-kun for long, I need to hurry to the infirmary to treat your Kakashi-sensei. I guess he got into a really bad fight and lost, but strangely enough the only damage done was to his-" she stopped and gave a short burst of laughter, "Ah never mind, you wouldn't want to hear about that Naruto-kun, too much information for a young boy!" She giggled continuously as she walked down the stairs, leaving the blond to his own inner laughter.

Naruto walked to the main office doors and smiled at the two Chuunin guarding the doors, he had met them during the exam and was on friendly terms with them. They announced his name and opened the door after Tsunade bade him in. Tsunade rose from her seat behind her desk and gave Naruto a quick hug. "What's wrong Naruto? Something happen with Anko?" she asked with worry edging her voice. _"Man, how does she always know what's wrong?" _he thought in amazement. He thought once more about the kiss that he and Anko shared and blushed. Tsunade gasped, "Don't tell me you and Anko...?" All the boy could do is give a quick nod and immediately cringing, preparing for that single blow that would carry him through the next few rooms. Tsunade sighed loudly, causing Naruto to open his eyes and look at his baa-chan. "I thought something bad happened to her...HOW DARE YOU MAKE AN OLD WOMAN WORRY!" she shouted as she punched him in the head, making him face plant the floor. Naruto clutched his nose and shouted nasally back at her, "WELL SORRY, BUT ALL I CAME TO ASK WAS YOUR HELP ON MY DATE WITH HER!" Tsunade looked stunned for a moment, but then rushed to the boy with watery eyes, "Ohhhh, you want MY help? Ooh, then there is a lot of work to do, how long do you have until you pick her up?" she said in a very excited tone. "Uhh, 45 minutes..." he laughed nervously. Tsunade straightened herself and said, "Alright, I will do all in my power to make this a successful date!"

She then reached summoned a tailor to take his measurements and find him suitable dress attire. The tailor came back in less than 15 minutes carrying several articles of clothing. After making many gripes about changing out of his orange jumpsuit, Naruto put on the new clothes and looked into a mirror. He was wearing a black silk shirt with beige pants, and black dress shoes, and everything fit perfectly. His eyes wandered longingly back to the hanger that held his orange jumpsuit. Tsunade looked him over and whistled low, "Wow Naruto-kun, you look very mature in that outfit!" The boy blushed and gave a murmured thanks, saying goodbye to the tailor as he left the room. "So Baa-chan, why are you fine with me dating Anko-chan?" he asked, sitting in a chair while trying to get accustomed to his new clothes. Tsunade gave a small cough and looked him in the eyes, "Well to be honest, I thought it would have happened anyway (since she does act a lot like you or vice versa), and plus I was going to assign you to be a bodyguard for her." After hearing the first statement, Naruto stammered attempting to protest that the two were not alike, but the more he thought about it, it was true. "Anyway," he said deciding to skip to the next topic, "why would she need a bodyguard? Can't she fend for herself?" Tsunade nodded, "Yes I agree that she is quite capable of taking care of herself, but she is not safe...from Orochimaru." Simply hearing that name, Naruto's body tensed, and his voice took on a more serious tone, "Why would she not be safe from that bastard Orochimaru?" Tsunade exhaled deeply, "It is believed that Orochimaru is coming back for Anko, in order to finish what he had started years ago..." Immediately, Naruto felt his blood begin boiling with Kyuubi's chakra, **"He took away Sasuke, now he wants Anko-chan? I will kill him if he ever sets a single finger on her!" **his voice shook with rage and demonic energy. Tsunade grasped his shoulders and set her ice cold gaze into his flame red eyes saying, "Calm down, Naruto, that is why I am allowing you to be her bodyguard. You are the best one to protect her from him, Kami forbid he ever arrives." His chakra returned to normal and he nodded, knowing she placed a lot of respect by allowing him to be Anko's bodyguard. The room was tense and silent until Tsunade glanced at her clock, "Shit! Naruto, hurry! You are going to be late!" she shooed him quickly out of the office.

Naruto double-timed over to Anko's apartment and knowing she would kill him if he was a minute late. He arrived just in time, and knocked on her door. The door creaked open and his brain froze. **_"Kit...Kit...HEY KIT, you are DROOLING!"_** Kyuubi shouted. Naruto shook his head and took in the sight of Anko. She had a small amount of makeup on that accentuated her eyes and lips, her hair was held into place by lacquered chopsticks, she wore black strapless heels, and a midnight blue dress that showed off her curves in all the right places. She gave a small grin, noticing the boy's blank stare, "I thought you would like this Naruto-kun, shall we go?" she said while wrapping her arms around his like a serpent would its prey. She gave him a quick look over and gave him a satisfactory kiss on the cheek, "You look like a whole new person with those clothes, why don't you wear those types of clothes more often? Oh wait, don't wear them so often, I wouldn't want other girls clinging all over you!" she said with a fake pout as they walked towards the doors to the Akimichi restaurant.

Upon entering, Naruto noticed that it was a very well decorated place that had just the right lighting to give it a pleasant mood. _"I guess they really care about the restaurant, eh Kyuubi?"_ the boy asked thoughtfully. **_"What do you expect Kit? The Akimichi clan prides themselves in their cuisine and dining, even though Chouji may not show it that often,"_** the fox replied. No sooner had the conversation ended with the demon, Chouji arrived in a sharp suit, and for once, groomed hair. Naruto stifled his laugh for another time, in order to give a good impression, and gave the fellow nin his trademark grin, "Hey Chouji, think we can get a table for two please?" Chouji smiled, "Of course Naruto, anything for a friend and his _lovely_ looking date," giving Anko a blushing look. Chouji led them to a secluded table next to the window so that they could view the starry sky. He lit a candle and left to take care of other tables.

"Wow, this place is amazing..." Naruto said in a hushed tone, looking around the room. He spot the Hyuuga family at a nearby table as well as other well known clans like the Aburame's and Yamanaka's. Taking a quick glance at Anko, he noticed she was looking into the star filled sky. The glowing candle at the center of the table gave her a glowing, exotic look, causing him to stare too long, catching her attention. "What's wrong Naruto-kun? Something on my face?" she asked checking her reflection in the window. The boy shook his head, and muttered, "No, it's not that Anko-chan, it's...well, you just look _beautiful_..." the last part was whispered very softly. So softly that Anko needed to use heightened hearing to catch it. _"He sure has an innocent charm about him.." _Anko thought to herself giving him a blushing smile. She calmly placed her hands on his, making him flinch a little. She leaned forward and gently kissed him on the lips, making his face change to a deep crimson red after realizing that they were kissing in the public eye. _"This could be bad, our reputations could only become worse..." _he thought with dismay while Kyuubi shouted, **_"Woo! Go Kit, getting another kiss!"_**

Hinata was quietly enjoying her dinner with her father Hiashi, her sister Hanabi, and Neji, when she noticed Naruto sitting at the dinner table with Anko. _"Naruto-kun? He looks handsome in those new clothes...but does this mean..."_ she was cut off mid-thought as Anko leaned forward and kissed her crush directly on the lips. A small gasp escaped from her, causing her to fidget with her fingers as her family gave her their immediate attention, not knowing what she had just witnessed. _"Is this really happening? Oh no, I was too timid, and now I have lost him to Anko-san..."_ the young Hyuuga thought with dread. She only played with her food the rest of the night, the good mood from before instantly sucked out of her as she saw the love of her life being kissed by another. Neji looked calmly at Hinata noticing something was wrong with her. _"What happened to the cheerful Hinata-sama a few minutes ago?" _he followed her eyes to the table in the corner where Naruto was kissing Anko. Neji inwardly winced, knowing how much the blond meant to her. In a rare, caring moment, Neji soft pat Hinata's shoulder in assurance. The girl held her head down to hide the coming tears.

After being released from the kiss, Naruto just sat in a daze like before, still not entirely used to kissing. Anko giggled, and then clutched at her neck, a sharp hiss of pain slipping out. Naruto quickly sat up, moving to Anko in a hurry. His blue eyes widened in shock as he saw Anko's curse seal for the first time. It was a symbol just like Sasuke's except it was a bit smaller, like it had laid dormant for so long. Anko quickly whispered an excuse and got up to go to the restroom. After only taking a few steps she fell, in what seemed like slow motion to Naruto, and he caught her, gently laying her on the floor. Many other patrons were glancing with worried eyes until they saw who it was, then they returned back to their food as if nothing happened. Cursing silently, Naruto whispered to Anko, "Anko-chan, whats wrong?" Her breathing had become very short rasps as she struggled to say, "O...Orochimaru...he...he is coming...," afterwards she fell unconscious. The boy checked that she was breathing and noticed the seal glowing bright red. Naruto peered over his shoulder and saw Shino, Neji (with Hinata behind him), and Ino, looking at her with worry. "We need to get her to Baa-chan right away," he whispered. They nodded and quickly told their family members what had occurred, then leaving with Naruto carrying Anko on his back. A single thought was echoing in his mind as he rushed to the Hokage office once more, _"Orochimaru, I will not let you lay a finger on her!"_

A/N: Okay, that took me a bit longer than anticipated, but with several long nights filled with inspiration, I am finally able to say the fifth chapter is done! I must say, thank you so much to everyone who gave a review, it means a lot to me! I now have almost 10,000 hits for my story and all I can say is wow! So yeah, tell me what you think of the new chapter if you like, I need to prepare my head for writing about the upcoming arrival of OROCHIMARU! Later, Kuldain


	6. A long night and the start of a new day

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I did just get Guitar Hero for the PS2, one word: Awesome

A/N: It is finally here:Chapter 6 of A Fox, A Snake, and A Hyuuga! Oh and Hinata'sUnofficialStalker to answer your question: I don't really think Anko is being too girlish because she has gotten a second chance at being young again, and she wants to have fun. I don't think that she is always a "blood-thirsty knife-licker" and she is showing another side of her personality (or at least that's what I attempt to portrait.) But anyway, onto the story!

Night had fallen onto Konoha. The city seemed alive under the gentle moonlight. Shadows were being cast over the Hokage monument as a figure stood on an ancient tree's solid branch, watching the city from high above. Another figure landed next to him almost perfect silence, kneeling before him and saying, "Orochimaru-sama, I believe that Anko-san has received your...message..." the young man said to his master. The snake sannin's yellow eyes narrowed as he gave a smirk knowing that soon, everything was going to fall into place... He continued to watch the weaklings down below as they went along with their lives not even noticing they were there. Without even glancing in the young man's direction he replied, "Thank you for that information, you may begin your mission at midnight. The young man stood up and bowed while replying obediently, "Yes Orochimaru-sama," then vanishing quickly afterwards into the night. _"You will return to me soon, Anko, and then you shall fufill your destiny that you forsake so long ago..."_

A small amount of sweat was appearing on his face as Naruto sprinted over to the Hokage office with Anko in his arms. Anko wasn't heavy at all, the sweat was mostly from the panic that had welled up inside him. Shino, Neji, Hinata, and Ino were close behind him as he dashed into the building, running up the stairs to Tsunade's office screaming, "BAA-CHAN! ANKO IS IN TROUBLE!" As soon as she heard the amount of panic in his voice, Tsunade immediately called Shizune into her office to prepare a makeshift bed for the girl. The large wooden doors to the office burst open with Shizune carrying in several blankets and a pillow.

Naruto came in close behind her, carrying the unconscious Anko. He slowly set the girl down on the bed as if she were made of glass, and looked at Tsunade and spoke with anger burning in his eyes, "Baa-chan...he is coming, her curse seal flared up and she fainted..." He looked down towards the ground and softly spoke, "I couldn't do anything to help her...I'm sorry I failed you baa-chan, and you too Anko-chan..." He quickly turned and silently left the room. Tsunade was stunned to hear him take this so hard, and looking at everyone else's faces, it seems they were surprised too. _"Naruto..."_

Setting her emotions aside for the moment, Tsunade spoke to the four remaining genin in a professional tone, "Shino, I will need you to send bugs to alert the others to what has happened, Ino, I need you and Chouji to talk to Naruto for me, Neji and Hinata I ask that you guard Anko for now since you two can use your byakugan to keep a lookout while I figure out a way to seal this room from Orochimaru. I will be in the study, oh, and don't push yourselves too hard." The four genin replied with a quick yes, or a nod in Shino's case, and began their assigned duties. Shizune placed a small wet towel on Anko's forehead, and checked her pulse. _"This is strange, even though she is unconscious and seems to be breathing normally, her pulse is moving like she has been running all day..."_ She gave a worried glance to the girl, and left the room to immediately tell the Hokage.

Outside on the roof, Shino began to release messaging bugs that would fly directly to his comrades to alert them of the situation. As soon as they began appearing from underneath his long coat, they immediately retreated back inside, his body filled with a nervous buzzing. _"What? You feel an evil presence? I wonder why I cannot sense it..." _He had started his way back to the roof entrance when his instincts told him to duck. As he did he heard several shuriken cut through the air where his head had been only a moment ago. Crouching with a kunai bared, bugs began swarming angrily out from his body to his defense. _"This is bad..."_ he thought as he prepared himself for his unseen assailant.

"_**Kit, you have to understand, it was not your fault," **_the demon told his container in a gentle manner. After seeing how upset he was over something he had no control over, Kyuubi attempted to calm his Kit down since his anger would help no one. **_"You may not have been able to stop her curse seal from flaring up, but you were able to get her medical attention and most likely saving her life, so don't beat yourself up over this."_** Naruto simply stayed silent, mulling over the demon's words. It was true that nothing could be done about the seal, but it didn't make it any better to know that that bastard Orochimaru was coming to get her. _"Damn it, am I strong enough to face him on my own?" _He clenched his fists together and pounded the wall to release his frustration. He looked up as he heard a pair of footsteps approaching. "Ino, Chouji, what's wrong?" he asked. Chouji shuffled his feet nervously, while Ino looked at him and softly said, "Naruto, you know that you did the right thing, why beat yourself up over it?" The boy looked to the side and replied, "Well, I know that Ino, but...Orochimaru is coming, I don't really know if I can stand up to him." Chouji raised his head and finally spoke up, "But Naruto, that's why we are all here. We all came to help you guys after we saw that you needed help. We are your friends and we have to stick together." Ino gave Chouji a nod in agreement, "That's right, you won't be the only one fighting Orochimaru, Naruto! Don't forget, we still have all the other ninja in the village to help, even Hokage-sama! There is no way that we could lose if we have such a big home advantage!" She gave a confident grin and Chouji gave Naruto a thumbs up. Naruto gave a genuine smile, "Thanks you guys...Alright! I am going to make that snake bastard pay for hurting Anko-chan, and make him give back Sasuke!" The three shared a friendly silence, knowing that they would be ready.

A snake slithered through the darkness, its sharp hiss still echoing even though it had disappeared from sight. Anko glanced all around for any sight of the damn serpent, ready to either fight or run away at a moment's notice. Sweat began to trickle down her cheek as her body was suddenly paralyzed. She looked down at her feet and noticed the large serpent she had seen before, wrap itself around her. _"Shit! I can't let this happen, I don't want it to happen! I don't want to go back with him!"_ the girl thought as her mind raced with possible ways to escape from the increasingly tight grip of the serpent. She found she had been holding a kunai, and began furiously stabbing at the snake's body in a futile effort to make it release her. All the blood had rushed from her limbs into her now throbbing head, making her vision blur. She grit her teeth and saw the snake's head rear up, looking down at her. Just as she thought it was about to strike, the mouth had opened and Orochimaru slithered out of it, wearing a very large smirk. "Ah, Anko, I see you are doing well. I take it you have already adjusted to your body? Do not worry, I will not kill you...I am going to merely, take what I should have had many years ago." Her eyes widened in fear as she looked at the man who had nearly taken control of her entire life. "No," she choked out, "No no no no no NO! I am not going back to that place! " she screamed as much as she could while staring at the bastard's smug face. "Oh yes, my dear Anko, I will have you back soon, very soon...heh heh heh..."

Neji and Hinata stared in shock for a moment as Anko began tossing and turning in her bed. Quiet whimpers came from her mouth as the seal on her neck began glowing a burning red, and was starting to spread across her neck. "Byakugan!" Neji muttered as his bloodline activated. Looking at her chakra coils, he could see that there was a dark energy flowing into them like poison. He winced, _"Damn it, this is not good, it's just like Sasuke's and if this seal continues to grow..." _He glanced over at Hinata, who was still staring in shock at Anko. "Hinata-sama...HINATA-SAMA!" he shouted, grabbing the girl's attention. She turned her head and stared at her cousin, "I need to go and get Hokage-sama, take care of Anko!" He said over his shoulder as he began running out the door towards the study. The young Hyuuga gave a pitying look at the Jounin, and knelt down and began softly petting her head while wondering how things had turned out like they did.

A warm feeling surrounded her body, the serpent loosened its hold around her and she gasped for air. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of white eyes staring back at her. "Hey Hinata, where am I?" Anko asked the Hyuuga in a weak voice. Hinata almost gave a squeak in surprise but caught herself and replied, "Ah Anko-san, you are in the Hokage's office, Naruto-kun brought you in after you had collapsed in the restaurant. Neji, Shino, Chouji, Ino, and I came along after we saw what happened. How are you feeling?" The purple haired girl gave a weak smile, "Heh, well, my date was ruined and I had the worst nightmare in the world, so I feel like shit." Hinata gave a small smile. Anko began to sit up but Hinata lightly pushed her back down, "You can't Anko-san, you need to rest!" The Jounin gave a grumble but was silently thankful to the girl for looking out for her and also helping her escape her nightmare. _"It was too soon to see that bastard's face again..." _she thought angrily. "Hinata, where is Naruto?" Hinata looked away, "He is outside. He became upset after seeing you hurt, and Chouji and Ino went to talk to him." Anko gave a weary sigh, "That kid, he always takes the safety of his friends so personally..." A sniff was heard from the young girl as tears began dropping to the floor. Anko blinked in surprise, "Hinata? Hinata, what's wrong?" Hinata shuddered uncontrollably but managed to speak, "He...He l-likes you a-a l-lot Anko-san...," the girl began to compose herself as Anko listened intently to hear her soft voice, "I have never seen such anger or worry on his face before, and...I have never seen him so happy right after you kissed him." The tears began falling again, but this time there were no shudders. Anko looked at the girl while feeling pangs of guilt for not even realizing that she had a crush on Naruto. She softly grabbed her hand, catching her attention, "You like him, don't you Hinata?" she murmured. Hinata blushed and gave a quick nod in agreement. "Well, if you like him so much, why don't you fight me for him?" The girl's white eyes widened, "You, you mean, literally Anko-san? I couldn't win...it's hopeless..." Anko chuckled softly, "No, I mean, show him you like him, be more aggressive, more confident, in essence, become my rival!" Hinata gasped in amazement, "Anko-san, how can you suggest such a thing? He likes you a lot and..." Anko gave an exasperated sigh, "He may _like_ me, but that doesn't mean you should just give up and crawl under a rock to die! If you really like him, you would continue to win him over. Besides," she said with a grin, "I could use the challenge!" The Hyuuga merely stared at the Jounin for a while before she finally giggled and nodded with confidence, "You are right Anko-san, I will not lose to you just yet!" Anko gave a weary smile, "That's good, since I don't think I will be here much longer...since that snake bastard is on his way." Hinata stood up with a determined look in her eyes, "Anko-san, I will make sure that you stay safe, I promise!" Looking back down, Hinata noticed Anko had fallen into a peaceful sleep. _"She is right, I will not give up yet on Naruto-kun!"_ She activated her Byakugan and gasped when she saw Shino and someone else on the roof.

In the study sitting behind piles of books, Tsunade gave a frustrated grunt and shoved her last book out of the way. Shizune stood by with her pet pig Tonton ready for any order the Hokage might give. "Tsunade-sama, why don't you take a small break? I can go make some tea, or if you prefer, I can bring a bottle of sake." Tsunade's golden brown eyes darted to her assistant as a way of saying, "I am busy right now and I have a massive headache so please be quiet." Shizune decided now would be a good time to look for the sealing jutsu as well, and walked around looking at the many ancient scrolls and books that have been collected in Konoha's history. _"This place always amazes me, so much information compiled over centuries...but it hasn't been organized for quite a while, it's no wonder Tsunade-sama can't find what she is looking for."_ Tsunade stood up and shrugged, "Well it seems like organizing this place is top priority in the next few months, but I think that it would be fine if we just return to the office and guard Anko there. There is no way to find the right sealing jutsu for now." Shizune gave a quick smile in agreement and began placing the books that they had looked through on the correct shelves. Neji ran into the room, stopping just before the large pile of books, "Tsunade-sama, it seems there is some trouble with Anko." Tsunade became alert once more, walking over to the young boy, "Oh? What is wrong, Neji?" "It seems there is a poisonous energy flowing into Anko-san's chakra coils. Is there anything you can do about it?" Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in thought, "This is bad, it seems that because it is one of Orochimaru's original curse seal's, the raw power it contains is not held back from harming the user in any way even if they are not using it for increased power," she opened her eyes and gave a grim look, "I will try to heal it but it will take a tremedous amount of time and energy, and I know that for a seal this strong, a sealing jutsu like the one Kakashi-san had used on Sasuke will not work." The Hokage looked over her shoulder and saw her assistant still cleaning up the mess that she had made in a matter of hours. "Shizune, I need you to continue to look for that scroll for me while I take care of this." The raven haired women gave a weary nod and went back to work. Tsunade began to walk out of the room with Neji behind her, when a large crash came from above. Neji grit his teeth and activated his Byakygan and watched as Shino was fighting on the roof and losing. He turned to Tsunade and told her what he had seen, and she gave him a look that said everything, "Go." The Hyuuga gave a brisk nod and ran towards the stairs to the rooftop.

The young man chuckled softly to himself, _"Heh, it was pretty interesting to fight an Aburame member with such skill, it's amazing that he is only a Genin. It is too bad that those ANBU members I had dealt with earlier were so predictable, but I had my orders to take out anyone that got in my way." _The Aburame was kneeling down on the ground, exhausted after fighting for so long. The young man and gave him a smirk, picking him up by the collar of his coat, "Have you had enough?" There was no reply, but there was a sharp pain in the young man's arm, causing him to let the Genin go. Shino stood up slowly and said, "It is over, you can no longer use your chakra. My bugs have burrowed into your muscles and will not return until I tell them to. Give up now." The young man winced in pain and shouted, "Do you know who I am? I am Uchiha Sasuke! A few bugs like this will not hurt me!" Shino shook his head, "You are not Uchiha Sasuke. I do not know who you are, but know that my bugs will not hesitate to cripple you for the rest of your life." Sasuke chuckled again, "Heh, as I said before," his body began to emit an aura of chakra, "Your bugs will not hurt me." Shino frowned as he felt his bugs inside the imposter's body explode from an overload of chakra. Sasuke rushed forward and attempted to kick Shino's stomach, but his leg went right through as Shino's body burst into bugs. _"A bug bunshin!"_ As soon as both of his feet landed on the ground, bugs wrapped around his feet pinning him to the ground. _"Damn, I was careless! No more time to waste!"_ Sasuke grit his teeth as he felt thousands of sharp bites all at once. Shino stood to the side and watched with no emotion as his bugs began to devour the imposter's feet. Sasuke suddenly appeared behind Shino and kicked him into the air and jumped after him. He grabbed his leg and swung the Genin through the air, releasing him so that he flew right back onto the roof with a large crash. _"It's over now that he is unconscious, I have to get Anko-san to Orochimaru quickly!" _he thought as he ran towards the roof entrance, only to stop suddenly as the door was flung open by Hyuuga Neji. Neji glanced over fake Sasuke's shoulder and saw Shino's limp form. He activated his Byakugan and saw that he was still alive, breathing a sigh of relief. He went into his Juken stance and watched as the young man he recognized from the Chuunin Exam known as Kabuto prepared himself.

"_I must help Shino as soon as possible!"_ Neji rushed towards the Henged Kabuto and thrust his palm towards his chest. Kabuto parried the blow downward and focused chakra on his hand and cut at Neji. Even as a small cut appeared, Neji paid no attention to it and continued his attack by crouching low to the ground, preparing his Hakke Rokujuyon Sho. As soon as Kabuto saw his stance he immediately tensed, remembering from a talk with Orochimaru how the technique that goes with the stance can render all tenketsu in one's body useless. The Hyuuga struck quickly at his body, making it feel weaker with every blow. Kabuto fell backwards, his Henge being dispelled after having so many tenketsu closed, and twisted his body so he faced behind his attacker and attempted to strike near the center of Neji's skull, the area of the Byakugan's blind spot, but was soon pushed away by a massive barrier of swirling chakra. "Heh, impressive, no wonder I hear you are the Hyuuga genius," Kabuto said while slowly standing up, wiping the blood away from his mouth. Neji stood his ground and said, "You are too weak to continue, give up now." Kabuto grit his teeth as he felt the reaction to the blows slowly take affect, _"Damn it, I can't open any tenketsu with medic techniques, hell, I barely have the strength to stand...Orochimaru-sama, I could use some help even if it may cost me my life."_ Neji had begun walking towards Kabuto and stopped before him giving a harsh glare, "You should never have come back...," he said while pulling his arm back in order to give the final blow. No sound was heard as a large sword was thrust through the air towards the Genin. Reacting with his Byakugan, Neji turned quickly and parried the sword but it still struck him through his right lung instead of the heart. The Hyuuga continued to move through the air and was slammed against the wall, coughing up blood as he struggled to breathe. A dark chuckle was the last thing he heard before darkness came.

Naruto, Chouji, and Ino had arrived back inside the Hokage's office and found Hinata with her Byakugan activated, watching over Anko intently. The happy smiles that had been on their faces was replaced by a seriousness that came only during missions. Naruto walked closer to Hinata, "Hey Hinata, don't push yourself too hard using the Byakugan, or you could end up with chakra exhaustion, then you would be lying right next to Anko," the blonde said with a chuckle. Hinata looked up at the boy and smiled, "It's all right Naruto-kun, I can manage. It seems you are doing better too." Naruto gave an approving nod, "Yeah, thanks to my friends," Naruto looked quizzically at Hinata, "You seem different Hinata..." Hinata felt her blood begin to rise to her face and shook her head a bit, _"I can't be the same shy girl who always faints! I made myself a rival to Anko-san and I have to win Naruto-kun!" _ Mentally forcing the blood away from her face, she looked him in the eyes and said, "Nope, same old me," giving him a rare grin similar to his own. Ino and Chouji were caught off guard by this gesture and stood stunned while Naruto unknowingly had a small blush appear on his cheeks. Kyuubi, waking from his small nap, decided now would be a good time to tell his Kit, **_"Uh Kit, you do realize that you are blushing?"_** Naruto forced the blood away giving the demon the evil eye, _"Argh, damn fox, stop reminding me of all the embarrassing things that happen to me!"_ After regaining their composure, the four Genin sat in silence watching over Anko. Tsunade and Shizune came through the large office doors and the four stood up in alert, Tsunade raised her hand saying, "Relax, it is just us, we are here to check on Anko." Naruto gave an audible sigh of relief, "Ah, it's just Tsunade no baa-chan." The others began to doze off from their long night, but Naruto smelled a familiar scent, _"This smell, where is it coming from?" _ Kyuubi let out a low growl in his mind, **_"Kit ...that isn't your 'Baa-chan' that's-"_ **_"Orochimaru!" _ the boy finished, his adrenaline spiking up as rage clouded his sight. The link was cut off as Naruto ran up and tried to hit Tsunade but was pushed back by Shizune. Both genjutsu were dropped and Naruto yelled in rage at Orochimaru, waking up the others immediately. Ino stood her ground behind Chouji preparing her Shintenshin no Jutsu, Hinata stood confidently next to Naruto in her Juken stance. Naruto's features became feral as Kyuubi's chakra began to enter his system. His whisker marks became wider, his canine incisor teeth grew longer, his eyes turned to blood red slits, and his fingernails became claws. Speaking in a lower voice with an evil tone, he directed his glare to Orochimaru, **"You will not take Anko-chan, you bastard! You took Sasuke away, but you will not take her!"** Orochimaru ran to the window smiling malevolently towards the four, "Looks like we may have to wait little fox, I have something to prepare and it takes a bit of time...and a certain woman," he said while looking at Anko, who was being carried in Kabuto's arms. The door slammed open with Tsunade rushing towards Orochimaru with anger blazing in her eyes, "Orochimaru!" The Hokage leapt forward and threw a chakra powered punch towards the two Sound ninja. As the ground exploded beneath them, Kabuto wiped blood from his mouth and dragged his finger quickly over Orochimaru's arm, his hands instantly summoning a large snake that burst through the wall. Kabuto landed next to Orochimaru on the large snake's head, breathing hard, _"It's not enough chakra to summon Manda, but it will be enough."_ The snake began to slither away through the streets, with Oro chimaru's cackling echoing in the air. Naruto felt the demonic power course through him at the sight of another precious person being taken away from him. A howl of rage rose from Naruto, everyone looked at him and with inhuman speed he jumped out the hole before anyone could stop him.

As he hit the ground, a small crater formed as he ran with all of his might following the large serpent. A trail of red chakra appeared behind him as he soon caught up to the fleeing serpent. Orochimaru turned his head and clicked his tongue in annoyance, "My my, it seems Anko-chan means a lot to the little fox...let's leave his corpse for the others to find, heh heh..." As quickly as it had begun it's escape, the serpent twisted back around to face Naruto, baring its poisonous fangs. Naruto leapt right into the mouth of the giant snake, striking the inside of its mouth with a single razor sharp claw. The blow cut open the roof of the mouth with blood spraying wildly from the wound as Naruto landed safely back on the ground, letting a satisfied grin appear on his face. The snake thrashed about in a rage, destroying some nearby buildings, but recovered quickly and began snapping at the boy with incredible speed. Naruto frowned, _"Damn it, each bite seems faster than the next! If this keeps up I will not be able to dodge or even block it! I have to rush it from behind and attack Orochimaru, it's the only way!"_ he thought. Quickly returning from his thoughts in time to dodge another strike, he ran towards the snake and latched on, and began climbing towards the head. As soon as it felt the ninja dig his claws into it's skin, the snake hissed loudly and bucked left and right in order to throw him off. A great amount of sheer determination to save one of his comrades and precious people gave him the strength to hold onto the enraged serpent. Just as he head reached the top and saw Orochimaru glaring at him with those bright yellow eyes, a shadow fell over him and it felt like several ancient trees were crushing him instantly. The wind knocked out of him, Naruto noticed that what hit him was the snake's large tail. _"Damn, I made a mistake forgetting all about the rest of it's body..."_ the young boy thought as he flew through the air and landed on the ground far away from where the battle had taken place. He could immediately feel the Kyuubi's chakra repair his internal organs, mend some of his cuts and fractured bones, but the weight of his failure came worse than any blow he had just taken in full force. The wind blew through the trees as he heard the serpent disappear into the night. Many feelings came to the front of his mind, but the one that was the strongest was sadness. _"Anko-chan," _Naruto thought as tears welled up in his eyes, _"I am sorry I failed you...but I will get you back, it's a promise..."_ His eyelids felt heavy suddenly as the night's actions began to take a toll. He heard running footsteps coming closer and heard Tsunade cry out, "Naruto! Naruto! Hang on!" A warm feeling spread over his body making him relax, "Hey, Baa-chan, I will be okay, I got Kyuubi to help me out, just give me some time to sleep..." A slight chuckle was heard, and he was lifted onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital, "Yeah sure thing, Naruto-kun."

A bright light pierced through his closed eyelids, forcing him awake. The blonde carefully climbed out of the hospital bed, gingerly stepping on the cold hospital floor. He groaned as he remembered in a flash the events that passed the night before, and noticed that the only thing that hurt now were his sore muscles, the rest of his injuries being healed perfectly thanks to a mix of demoic chakra and medical jutsu. _"But my chest feels heavy too..." _ he thought as sadness came over him. "**_Hey Kit, replace that with determination and hatred for that Snake bastard, and let's go save the girl!" _**Kyuubi chimed in his thoughts. Nodding in agreement, he dressed in a hurry and ran to the Hokage office. After giving a quick rap on the door, he entered and saw his most of his friends standing in front of Tsunade. "Baa-chan, what's going on?" he asked while walking up to the group. "Well Naruto, I think it is time for you to get another chance at rescuing Anko, and Sasuke, if possible. Are you up for it?" Giving a determined smile with a sparkle of intensity in his blue eyes, he said, "Yes!" Tsunade stood up and said in her 'official' voice, "Alright listen up, you are all going into the Sound country to find and rescue Anko and Sasuke. The rescue team will consist of Shikamaru who will be the leader again this time, Hinata, who is taking Neji's place since he had become badly injured last night, Kiba, Chouji, and Naruto! You may leave as soon as you are ready. Dismissed." Ino began to complain, "Tsunade-sama, why can't I go on the mission?" Tsunade looked at the girl calmly, "It is because your abilities might be needed for other things in Konoha." Ino gave a resigned sigh and nodded leaving for training with Asuma-sensei. "Sakura," Tsunade called, the pink haired kunoichi came up, "I would like for you to train as an apprentice under me. Will you accept? You have very good chakra manipulation skills." Sakura nodded with enthusiasm replying, "Of course, Tsunade-sama!" Shikamaru told the others to just pack what they needed and to meet at the gate in half an hour. As the five arrived at the gate, Naruto remembered the first rescue mission for Sasuke. _"It will go better this time, we are stronger and know what we are dealing with!" _he thought positively. **_"But Kit, remember exactly you are dealing with, a Sannin, this is not going to be easy. But don't worry, I will be here to help kick some Sannin ass!" _**Naruto gave the fox a mental grin and the group started forward on their mission.

A/N: FINALLY DONE WITH CHAPTER 6! Woo! Sorry it took SO long people! But hey, I think the next chapters are going to be very action-y so keep on the look out for chapter 7! As a way of saying "Sorry for the late update but I was stuck a third of the way for a long time because of stupid writer's block," I shall give you a sneak peek at Ch. 7! The mission starts and Naruto has a bad feeling about what Orochimaru has planned. Hinata becomes more confident and tries to win over Naruto, Anko discovers why she can't remember what happened on her last mission, and why she is a 13 year old again, and Orochimaru prepares a SHOCKING secret...Well, I am off to college starting next week, so it may be even longer until I get chapter 7 out...but as you can see, it is going to get interesting! Please, as always, R&R! Oh and I am curious, out of a rating of 1-10, with 10 being the best, how would you rate this fic so far? You don't have to, but I would appreciate it! Also, 100+ reviews, wow I am stunned! Thanks for all your support! - Kuldain


End file.
